Madam Speaker, my time frame is as soon as possible, but I have instructions from Cabinet that I have to reach an agreement within a certain set of parameters. As is always the case when there are two people negotiating, it's difficult for me to say that it's going to be a month, two weeks, three weeks or tomorrow, because there are two parties who are sitting at the table trying to reach an agreement. But certainly for our part we'd like it to be as soon as possible, but I can't speak for the federal government in saying that they will sit down and comply with all our requests, the same as they can't speak for us and say that we will comply with all their requests. It's a matter of negotiations. It is moving along as fast as we can move it along, and hopefully within a few weeks it will be concluded, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Honourable Minister, Don Morin, Minister of Public Works and Services. It's with regard to another thing that I have been pursuing in this House from day one, with regard to the water carriers directive that the Cabinet has been operating on. There is a business in my constituency that would like to have the opportunity to provide barging services for resupplying government operations down the valley. The Minister had indicated earlier that he had prepared a document for Cabinet's perusal, and I would like to know what the status of this is. Thank you.

Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. When NTCL was sold, eight or ten years ago, it was carrier of first choice for all federal government freight. Consequently, Cabinet of the Northwest Territories Executive Council made a decision to give NTCL carrier first choice. The federal government had their decision in place for eight years, and that is lapsed now so we have revisited that decision. We have made the decision to remove the designation of NTCL as carrier of first choice for the Mackenzie corridor, excluding Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.

Also, as part of the decision, it is my responsibility as the Minister responsible for the Department of Public Works to also begin negotiations with NTCL in the next year to negotiate better rates for freight in all other areas. I have one year to negotiate those rates with NTCL in order to extend their carrier of first choice in all other areas. We have until the 1995 shipping season to do that. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. A supplementary to that question is would the water carrier business in my constituency be eligible now to bid for resupplying of government supplies down the valley? Thank you.

Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. As of today, yes.

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Without attempting to abuse the rules of the House, Madam Speaker, I have some questions about the process for consultation on the social housing rent scale, and not about the paper itself. I would like to pose a question to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation.

Madam Speaker, yesterday in response to some questions I asked, I believe the Minister for the Housing Corporation -- when responding to a question about whether written material was circulated at the community consultation meetings held earlier this year and late last year -- said words to the effect of "knowing government, I'm sure something written was put forward." I would like to ask the Minister, since yesterday has he had a chance to review whether, in fact, his officials did provide any written information to communities during the round of community consultation meetings held late last fall and early in the new year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Patterson. I recognize that there is nothing in the document tabled with regard to the process used. Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The new rent scale consultation process has been an ongoing issue for some time. In March of 1987 there had been a public discussion paper for need for a new rent scale, and that was distributed to all communities in the Northwest Territories. Then in June of 1988, the NWT Housing Corporation released a second public discussion paper and possible options for a new rent scale. In February of 1990, a new rent scale was tabled in the Legislative Assembly by the previous Minister, the Honourable Tom Butters. Also, in May of 1993, the Advisory Committee on Social Housing approved the rent scale review process. In July of 1993, a bulletin on rent scale review was

distributed to all the tenants. That describes the review process and assures tenants that the corporation would talk to tenants to explain the impacts of the new rent scale. In the fall and winter of 1993-94, community consultation meetings were held in each community. District managers explained the rent scale review process, and many tenants at that time took advantage of the opportunity to express concerns and make suggestions to improve the existing scale. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, I have a lot of respect for the Minister, but I'm going to become impatient if my questions aren't answered. My question was -- and I'm going to waste a supplementary asking it again -- not did the district managers consult communities in the fall and early winter, not was the rental increase discussed -- I know it was, I attended one of those meetings myself. My question is, was there any written information presented by the district managers at the community consultation meetings late last fall and early winter? Yes or no. Thank you.

Minister of Housing, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The information I have is that in the fall and in winter of 1993-94 during the community consultation process, meetings were held and district managers explained -- they went through flip charts -- the whole rent scale review process. At that time, they explained the principles of the review and ask for comments on how to achieve those principles from the constituents of Mr. Patterson, as well as other Members of this Assembly. They took that input and brought it back to myself and the Advisory Committee on Social Housing. Thank you.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, I've carefully reviewed my notes of the community consultation meeting I attended and took the trouble to seek first-hand information about whether written material was provided or not from the Housing Corporation, itself. And, I can tell the honourable Minister, respectfully, that there were no flip charts at the meeting I attended in Iqaluit and there was no written information provided to any of the Baffin communities during the Baffin consultations.

Having stated that fact, Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister, if all that happened were discussions of principle, in his own words, and there was no detailed information -- and, in fact, no written information -- presented at the so-called final round of community consultation meetings late last fall and early last winter, how can the Minister assert to this House -- as he did in his statement yesterday -- that there has been meaningful consultation with communities? Thank you.

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The NWT Housing Corporation went to every community last fall and consulted on the new rent scale. The process used, and that was approved by the Special Committee on Social Housing as well as Cabinet, was that we would go out and speak to the communities. We would have no final document to take to communities. It is the proper way to go out and get people's ideas and talk about an idea with communities to get their input, and to later draw up a final document.

If you are going to go out with a final document, there's no sense doing it that way because communities would not like that. We went through the process of going out and canvassing and talking to communities to get their ideas about how to reach the principles of changing the old rental scale to the new rental scale. Communities gave us many good ideas and we put them into the new rent scale and that is what I tabled yesterday. Thank you.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, given that the Minister has admitted in the answer to my last question that the final document has not been presented to the communities -- and my community has yet to receive the information, had I not faxed it to them last night -- and given that the Minister has also admitted that communities would not like being presented with a final document without a chance for further input, will the Minister now commit that, once the final round of consultations takes place in May or June -- as announced in his statement yesterday -- communities will still have an opportunity to provide input and constructive suggestions on how this final document can be amended and improved before it is implemented in July of this year? Thank you.

Mr. Patterson, I have some problems with your question. Your question is about a document that has been tabled. With respect to the process, your question is allowed under the rules. However, referring to a particular document which has been tabled in the House is not allowed under the rules. Therefore, I would ask if you would rephrase your question and not refer to the document that is in committee of the whole? The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.